Toxic
by Foresaken-Shadow
Summary: Scott needs a way out of the torture and lo and behold finds the source of it. Songfic to Britney Spears' “Toxic.” Oneshot, set during X3. ScottJean


**Toxic**

Songfic to Britney Spear's "Toxic." One-shot, set during X3. Scott/Jean romantic-ness :) And even though it is set in X3, there are no huge spoilers (especially if you've seen any ofthepreviews of the movie).

I don't own the song or the X-men franchise.

* * *

_Baby, can't you see  
I'm calling  
A guy like you_

Midday on a rather chilly fall day. It had been nearly six months since Alkali. Six months to spare with insanity. Six months to lose himself. Six months to slowly fade away; six months since his heart had been ripped away. There was no going back, he'd decided; no way for a woman's body, no matter her telekinetic strength, to survive pound after pound of waterfalling lake water. So when they'd returned from the President's office, where he'd surprisingly stood strong, still in denial no doubt, he'd disappeared. Fleeing into the mind's sanctuary, which was easily the most dangerous place for one to run to. Too easy to forget the outside world and lose touch entirely.

Scott Summers had turned to this addiction far too often over the six months.

_  
Should wear a warning  
It's dangerous_

_I'm fallin'_

However, after diving into one particularly dark mental state, a series of images flashed before his eyes, in the little airspace between the eyes themselves and the lenses of the red glasses. He'd admitted mentally it had scared the living daylights out of him, for more than just the reason that it had startled him to alertness. Jean's twisted figure had crossed through his line of sight, then the crashing water, except he was seeing it fromJean's place. She'd screamed his name, but if anyone else had heard it was of mystery to the man.

That was when he'd first admitted aloud he was going insane.

_  
There's no escape  
I can't wait  
I need a hint_

Despite the gradual increase of image sequences that cut into his thoughts on a day to day basis, he refused to weep for her. This was because in his mind, Jean Grey was not dead. Not in the least. In all actuality, the two had made legit contact mentally more than once since Jean had been claimed by the lake. Legit meaning real, but unable to prove to anyone else in this instance. No one other than Scott Summers shared quite the telepathic bond that Jean offered. She reached to him more than once, often not realizing it and crying desperately for help for several minutes. When this came into his thoughts, Scott often clenched his jaw together and gave a false smile until the crying subsided.

However, within recent days, the cries grew incredibly sharper, and would give him the feeling of drowning. His shoulders would roll as his skin rippled at the foreign, unexplainable sensation. Scott called in sick for his teaching job almost regularly now, due to the fact he didn't know when he'd be caught unawares by Jean's scream.

He needed a way out.

_  
Baby, give me it  
You're dangerous  
I'm lovin' it_

So after six months, he'd made the unwavering decision of leaving the mansion. He'd scraped by Logan on his way out, but told no one where he was headed, other than, "out." He was torn between pushing Jean away and attempting to find her as he made his way towards the lake. The roar of the bike's engine seemed to drown everything out, including his racing thoughts. Right at that moment all that mattered was reaching the lake.

_  
Too high  
Can't come down  
Losing my head_

As soon as Scott had parked the bike, the wind had chilled and cut upwards sharply. The gust made him draw in a forced, unnecessary breath. His once unbreaking grimace quickly turned to a face of uneasiness as he scanned the lake's gently rippling surface. This was no doubt due to the unnatural wind that seemed to play at his paranoid anxieties.

He forced himself to close the gap between himself and the edge of the lake; his strides stiff and hesitant. Suddenly his heart had skipped a beat and his instincts finally kicked in as he realized that he should turn and run. The aura around the water was unmistakable; that of fear and desperation, yet laced delicately with selflessness and a sense of honorable pride. He shook his head; what was he thinking? Giving the feeling the air gave him a distinct personality? However, the voice cut into his mind yet again, this time calling his name over and over again, never ceasing.

He'd uttered one word before he completely lost it. The shades came off, and red energy burst forth slicing through the air silently and thundering through the water's surface. If she wasn't dead before, she certainly was now.

_  
Spinning 'round and 'round  
Do you feel me now  
_

However, Scott was wrong again. He had hardly done what one would consider "killing." Rather, he'd brought her energy to life. He stared in regret at first; the water evening out as the voice had faded from his thoughts. Shortly after, his brow jumped and the lethal eyes widened behind the glasses that had been cautiously replaced after the outburst. The water spun unnaturally, as if a twister had graced the surface of the lake. Then a swath of water cascaded undoubtedly in his direction, and all he could do was brace himself for the impact. Yet when the wave struck him, he swore he caught a glimpse of red within it, andthe wave that failed to even dot his jacket with droplets.

_  
With a taste of your lips  
I'm on a ride_

His head had made contact with the jagged ground, and exactly how much time he'd lost was unknown. However, when the pain began to fade, he pushed his aching figure to a sitting position only to find a blinding light staring him in the eyes. The glasses glimmered brilliantly as his own lips fell open in disbelief. Jean Grey stood before him, at the very edge of the rock that he himself had just been standing upon before thrown backwards by the sheer force of the water. At her glimpse of incredulity, he hastily pulled to his feet and drew to her naturally.

_  
You're toxic I'm slipping under_

"Jean…" he gasped, his hand stroking her now lengthened crimson hair. She still looked wildly mystified.

However, when she connected with his gaze, her curiosity grew. The glasses. She'd vaguely remembered them, but what why were they there? The sky above was noticeably overcast, and there was no practical need for them.

"Take them off," she whispered, her fingers grazing the rims of the red lenses.

His hands caught hers with no time to spare, and he looked to her with perplexity. "Jean…" he repeated, "no."

Things slowly trickled into her mind again; memories strained yet certainly present. She remembered what they were for, and her excuse changed from the weather to the ever confident, "I can hold them back."

_  
With a taste of a poison paradise  
I'm addicted to you_

Her smile was warm as she spoke the words that in the past had only been filled with false hope. Several times they'd tried; Jean's telekinesis against Scott's uncontrolled energy. Every single time had been a horrible failure that had resulted in near death for Jean. However, back at the base of the dam in Alkali, she had defied the energy. With hands outstretched, she'd managed to form a shield around herself, but it wasn't exactly the same as "holding the beams back." Needless to say she'd still prevented the potentially lethal effects. It had been an accident that the whole incident had ever happened; Scott had been taken hostage without Jean's knowing.

So here they stood, under overcast skies that threatened rain, before a lake filled with eerily tragic memories, surrounded by a chilling breeze. He'd agreed reluctantly to her desires, and the glasses came off. However, his eyes closed naturally, just as they had every time he'd been without the glasses.

"Open," Jean commanded gently; her voice persuasive despite the lack of fierceness behind it.

So he had. Helifted his eyes while he stood less than a foot from her, his hands around her wrists, and his fingers tightening as he finally blinked the lethal gaze open. He was a paranoid person, and that would never change apparently. Instinct threatened his gaze to falter, but his desire to see Jean in real color was stronger than instinct.

The red faded, and was replaced with a blinding array of colors. She was amazing with color and in her strength. However, he retreated behind the familiar darkness as they kissed; a congratulations of sorts for the feat.

_  
Don't you know that you're toxic  
And I love what you do  
Don't you know that you're toxic  
_

However the mere meeting of lips turned from congratulations to a kiss of love and adoration within seconds. It had been forfar too long that the two had been forcibly separated, and they both loathed it.

_  
It's getting late  
To give you up  
_

Her hands climbed to his neck, and his arms curled around her waist. They leaned into each other, but Jean furthered their embrace by her tongue coming forth and grazing the skin of his lips. Childish sin reflected in her eyes, but they both knew they were hardly skimming they surface.

_I took a sip  
From my devil's cup  
Slowly  
It's taking over me  
_

His lips opened at her touch, and her curiosity took hold again as she explored his taste. Time had passed and she felt distanced from him, almost so much so that she had forgotten his taste. Within seconds she retreated, enticing him to advance. With a slight shift his lips brushed against a smile that was now prominent on her face. She remained much more stubborn than he had been and she teased him, shutting out his mouth from the insides of hers.

_  
Too high  
Can't come down_

"_Open up,_" he declared mentally.

And so she did.

_  
It's in the air  
And it's all around  
Can you feel me now  
_

Their tongues entwined feverishly; this lustful love quite different from their usual banter. However, neither minded the sudden change. After all, extended separation tended to change people.

_  
With a taste of your lips  
I'm on a ride_

_You're toxic I'm slipping under  
With a taste of a poison paradise_

Moreover, a new sensation swept through Jean and offhandedly sent a shock through Scott's lips. She felt the need to draw away as anxiety rose in the form of a developing knot in her throat. Although she felt more drawn to her lover than she felt the need to escape. The lurking feeling wasn't too urgent…right?

_  
I'm addicted to you  
Don't you know that you're toxic  
And I love what you do  
Don't you know that you're toxic _

Don't you know that you're toxic

Things began to dive. Neither broke despite the lurking awareness each held in their minds. Intoxication might have been a cause here; delving too far into blind love. They were drawn to one and other, and naturally were inseparable.

The tingling in her throat continued. She barely stifled a whimpering cry as a new pressure entered her skull. Had she been hit just then without realizing it? The pressure grew with each passing moment, its strength steadily rising.

_  
With a taste of your lips  
I'm on a ride  
You're toxic I'm slipping under_

They both seemed to have fallen under the pressure; Scott's expression flickered that of pain for a moment. However, the alluring air around them seemed to blind both to the urgent problem sneaking in Jean's mind.

_  
With a taste of a poison paradise  
I'm addicted to you  
Don't you know that you're toxic  
_

Again she became feverish in her kiss; her hands on his neck, lifting her body higher against his as the kiss became quite ravishing. The newfound burst had not been that of Jean's doing though. No, it had been the deadly red tinge in her eye that sprang to life, feeding on the vast feelings of love, trust, and lust. Jean had been subliminally coaxed into the safety of his adoration while the beast within rose to consciousness.

_  
Intoxicate me now  
With your lovin' now_

He was virtually giving himself to her, unknowing of the transition from Jean to her inner demon. For if the man had known, he would have broken away in a heartbeat to prevent the heartbreak that was bound to come.

_  
I think I'm ready now  
I think I'm ready now  
Intoxicate me now  
With your lovin' now  
I think I'm ready now_

Not only had he revived Jean's body, but Scott had also awoken Phoenix's unrestrained soul.


End file.
